Matthew 28:16-20
Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had appointed for them. 17 When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some doubted. 18 And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 "teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Amen.
If you’ve been watching any of the NBA Finals this past week you’ve seen a lot of Spurs power forward Tim Duncan. Arguably one of the best power forwards in the history of professional basketball, he’s a perennial all-star. Even now, at the age of thirty-seven his team, the San Antonio Spurs, is vying for the NBA championship. What is it that’s made Duncan such a good basketball player all these years? The hint is found in his nickname. They call him “The Big Fundamental.” He’s not known for being extraordinarily flashy; but when it comes to basic basketball fundamentals—dribbling, passing, footwork and post-positioning—he’s textbook. Tim Duncan doesn’t overlook the basics. He practices them every day. And nobody does them better.
Today we are focused on a different “Big Fundamental”: the doctrine of the Holy Trinity. It doesn’t get any more basic than knowing who God is, according to what the Bible says. God is three unique persons in one divine essence—in other words, three persons in one God. It’s a simple thing, right? And yet it’s impossible for our sin-addled minds to figure out! But there it is all over in Scripture. We see all three persons present at Creation, as we heard in Genesis 1, saying “Let us make man in our image.” We also heard in 2 Corinthians 13 about the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit. And here at the end of Matthew’s Gospel we have the one place where all three persons of the Trinity are named explicitly together: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things as I have commanded you” (v. 19-20).
And it’s here in the words of Jesus that we’re reminded of some of the great and many blessings that our God has given us by revealing His triune nature to us. We’re reminded why it is so important that when we teach about God, we teach the Triune God.
- It’s an assuring teaching.
The disciples had heard the report of the women, that they had seen the risen Lord, and believed. They had gone to meet Him in Galilee at the appointed mountain. And when they saw Jesus alive and standing before them, “they worshiped Him” (17a)—they fell down on their faces in reverence. This wasn’t something they would do for just any person. They recognized in the risen Jesus that He was the Christ; and so now they honored their risen Lord. But “some of them doubted” (17b). What did they doubt? We don’t know; we’re not told exactly.
We do know, though, that we see ourselves in the disciples. Doubt is something we all deal with on some level. In the disciples we are reminded of the deceitful human heart that beats in our own chest. We know the winding ways our brains can work to plant seeds of doubt—even when there’s no reason to doubt at all. We recognize the sick and twisted part of us that revels in our doubt, that enjoys being cynical, that loves to be of two minds about everything and anything. In the Gospel we learn about the father who had a child with an unclean spirit, the one who came to Jesus and cried, “I do believe! Help me overcome my unbelief!” That’s our cry too!
It’s in the midst of human doubt and unbelief that Jesus draws near and says, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth” (v. 18). This is one of the key aspects of the doctrine of the Trinity—that Jesus is true God together with the Father. This is what He’s reminding His disciples—and us. We can take these words of Jesus as a preaching of the Law—like when Jesus says, “Whoever honors the Son honors the Father, but whoever does not honor the Son, does not honor the Father who sent Him.” But Jesus intends His words here primarily as Gospel assurance: “You have no reason to doubt—all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.”
And this assurance cancels out all our doubts too: the assurance that salvation is absolutely complete. Jesus has now been exalted to the place beyond every other, where every knee bows and tongue confesses that He is Lord, to the glory of God the Father (Philippians 2). All sins have been paid for with His precious blood; His righteousness is now ours through faith in Him. Have no doubts when it comes to your standing before the Lord.
With that assurance we also have the assurance of Christ’s authority as God. When Jesus says, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me,” He’s saying that together with the Father and the Holy Spirit, Jesus is in control. All the angels are subject to Him, even the demons in hell have to obey Him. Everything that goes on here in the world goes on with His knowledge and consent—and with His grace, His undeserved love for us. Have no doubts at all that no matter where we go or what we do in His name, Jesus our Lord will care for and provide for our needs.
One of the temptations the devil puts in our minds is the thinking that because we’ve learned something once, we don’t need to go over it again. In basketball terms we’d put it this way: “Forget this dribbling and passing nonsense—when do we learn how to dunk?!” But the funny thing about the truths of Scripture, especially the seemingly simple ones, the ones that we learn from the time that we’re young, is that the more you go over them—the more you study them, the more you think about them, the more you meditate on them—it’s like turning a jewel over in your hands. The more you see the light refracted and reflected; the more joy you receive. Keep teaching the Triune God—and keep receiving those wonderful assurances that it has to offer.
- It’s a teaching that gives our lives purpose.
For it’s in the midst of those Trinitarian assurances—assurances when it comes to the authority and divinity of Christ—that Jesus also grants us our own purpose in this world.
Jesus told the disciples, “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you” (19-20a). The “therefore” statements of Jesus are so important because they connect everything that’s said before with everything that comes afterward. “Therefore,” Jesus says—in light of the fact that all authority in heaven and on earth belongs to Him and now resides in His human nature; in light of all the assurance that those words provide you about the accomplishment of your salvation and HIs control over your future—“Therefore, as I am true God together with the Father and the Holy Spirit… make disciples of all nations.”
This is the Great Commission—the purpose of our existence, now that we are saved in Christ Jesus: “Go… and make disciples”—make followers of Jesus—“of all nations.” And we make disciples in two ways, don’t we? By baptizing them—washing their sins away—in the name of the Triune God, in the name of the God who saved them. And then, by “teaching them to observe all things which I have commanded you.” Passing on the teachings that Jesus has given to us.
Since it’s Father’s Day I’m going to pick on dads for a minute. “All nations” applies to our children too. It’s in the area of teaching them that we tend to fall short. We see all the times when the Bible was left unopened, all the times when we couldn’t answer the questions of our own kids because we didn’t know enough ourselves. Teaching God’s truth is hard; it’s a daunting task. It means studying and learning ourselves. It means taking the lead when it comes to worship. Yet it’s teaching those simple, basic truths of the Bible—truths like the Trinity—that is so important, so that our children won’t be led away from the assurances they have in Jesus.
In the early church there was a man named Arius who attracted a lot of followers by saying that Jesus was not the true, eternal God—there goes the Trinity right there! And in our own day and age we have all kinds of people—academics, professors, even members of the clergy—who want to say that Jesus was no more than just a man. A good man, maybe, but just a man. And these are the people your kids will run into when they leave your house.
Yet, Dads, you can take comfort in the assurance that Jesus gives. The same promise is there for fathers that is there for every other Christian carrying out Christ’s great commission: “Lo, I will be with you always, to the very end of the age” (20b). “I will be with you,” Jesus says, “I, myself—the same Jesus who died and rose again for you as the eternal Son of God—I will be right there with you, with my grace.” You failed to teach His Word to your family? You are forgiven, washed clean in the blood of Christ. “I will be with you,” Jesus says. And if He is with you, so is the Father, who lovingly provides for all your needs. He will ensure that you have what it takes. He’s already given you the only tool you’ll need: His Word, the very Bible itself. “I will be with you,” Jesus says. And with Him and the Father is the Holy Spirit, who builds you up in your faith, enabling you and motivating you to make disciples of all nations—beginning with the part of all nations that’s under your own roof.
We’re not talking about trying to teach your kids to dunk when they don’t know how to dribble. Begin with the basics. Start with who God is: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. And move from there to all that God has done for us. Lay a foundation that can be built on over a lifetime—the foundation of salvation in Christ alone. Teach the Triune God! Amen.